1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for emptying drums filled with solids and to an apparatus for emptying drums filled with solids.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
To fully exploit the holding capacity of drums, drums are nowadays often filled with solids with the aid of a so-called "drum compactor", i.e. the solids are highly compressed as they are introduced into the drums and are stored in compacted form in the drum. The compaction gives rise to a compact mass of solids in which in some cases the individual parts and particles adhere firmly to one another. A drum packed in this way and filled with a firmly cohering mass of solids can often no longer be emptied simply with the aid of gravity by turning the drum over with the lid end downwards after removal of the drum lid. Highly viscous materials, which of course behave in a similar way to firmly cohering solids, are also often virtually impossible to remove from their drums. Simply turning the drums over and repeatedly jerking the inverted drum upwards are often unsuccessful both in the case of drums containing highly viscous materials and those containing compacted solids. Attempts to empty the drum with the aid of an auger are likewise often unsuccessful. Burning the drums with their contents in the case of waste drums is generally not justifiable from an ecological point of view and is moreover uneconomical since the drums may damage the lining of the incineration furnaces. The downtimes for repairing an incineration plant and the costs of repair themselves make it uneconomical to incinerate the drums, especially in the case of incineration furnaces for special waste.